Beginning from the year 1993, the Nagaland government started appointing qualified persons as ad-hoc teachers to serve in the many government schools across the length and breadth of Nagaland. The appointment of teachers on ad-hoc basis has been continuing till date. The qualified persons appointed as ad-hoc teachers during the period 1993 – 1999 had nothing to complain because their salary was more or less proportionate to the salary of the other government servants. However, in the year 1999, discontentment and dissatisfaction set in when the Nagaland government implemented a new ROP which would substantially increase the salaries of all the government servants except those of the ad-hoc teachers serving under the school education department. Thus starting from the year 1999 the ad-hoc teachers began to feel neglected and discriminated by their own government. These feelings of deprivation and discrimination have persisted among this group of teachers ever since.
However in the year 2010, the patience and endurance power of the ad-hoc teachers finally ran out when the Nagaland government implemented the Sixth Pay Commission for its employees minus the ad-hoc teachers serving under the school education department. This 2010 ROP was also denied to the so-called ad-hoc teachers just like the 1999 ROP was denied to them on the ground that these teachers are not regular government servants.
The Nagaland government has this policy that an ad-hoc teacher would be eligible for the latest pay-scale i.e., the 2010 ROP for now (and previously the 1999 ROP), only after his / her service gets regularized. The ad-hoc teachers would have certainly no problem whatsoever with this policy of the government if the government is being able to regularize the services of the ad-hoc teachers on the stipulated time. However the Nagaland government has failed miserably in this matter.
Here it is worth mentioning that the Nagaland government through its office memorandum No.AR-5/ASSO/98 Dated Kohima the 23rd August 2007 has clearly directed the school education department to regularize the services of all those ad-hoc teachers who have completed three years of continuous service. However, now also, even those ad-hoc teachers who have already completed more than 10 years of continuous service are still waiting for their service regularization order.
It may also be mentioned here that a suitability test was conducted at the ATI in the year 2005 for the service regularization of the senior ad-hoc teachers. And it is interesting to know that the result of this suitability test came out only in the later part of 2009, i.e., after 4 years. And what is even more interesting is that many of the teachers who faced this suitability test failed to find their names in the result list when it was finally declared after more than 4 years. So, what were the reasons behind the omission of these names?
Moreover when this suitability test was conducted in 2005, the test could not be completed successfully for some unspecified reasons and many of the ad-hoc teachers had to return home without facing the suitability test. Till date no alternative arrangement has ever been made for these teachers who could not be accommodated in the suitability test conducted in 2005. The result being that many of these ad-hoc teachers are now serving for almost 15 years without their services been regularized till date. Now, whom shall we blame for these failures and shortcomings?
Last year also in the month of September, a suitability test was conducted at the school education directorate office in which more than a thousand ad-hoc teachers from all over Nagaland came and faced the test. Now six moths later, the result of this suitability test is still awaiting declaration and many have already voiced their apprehension whether the result of this test will see the light of day before the end of 2011.
It is appreciable that the directorate of school education office has set up a monitoring cell within its office premises to deal with the service regularization of the ad-hoc teachers. I myself have visited this cell a couple of times. But what I find worrying and disturbing is that the service regularization process seems to be done at a snail’s pace. Of course I know that the school education department is a big department with many responsibilities and obligations and therefore I cannot expect the department to regularize the services of thousands of teachers in a matter of 2 – 3 weeks. However I also sincerely believe that this process should not take more than 6-7 months if the department is really working with sincerity and commitment in this matter.
Another government policy which has been in operation is that a teacher becomes eligible for the latest pay-scale or ROP if he / she is able to clear the examination conducted by the NPSC.
Here also the ad-hoc teachers would have nothing to say and complain if the NPSC has proved itself to be a clean, corrupt-free and trustworthy department. But this is not so. Over the years the NPSC has remained as the most unclean, corrupt and untrustworthy department in Nagaland. Therefore when the government makes clearing the NPSC exam a criteria for availing the 2010 ROP or the latest ROP or for service regularization, isn’t our government openly encouraging corrupt practices like bribery, nepotism and other such practices.
Time and time again, corruption has shown its ugly face in the NPSC but still the Nagaland government continues to portray the NPSC as an angelic department. Even with all the corruption charges hovering over the NPSC over the years, the Nagaland government continues to believe and portray the NPSC as a department which has done no wrong or can do no wrong. This is something really absurd, unreasonable and totally unacceptable.
I want to inform the government that the NPSC is not UPSC. The examinations and recruitments conducted by the UPSC are of the highest order and nobody can doubt its credibility. However, it is not so with the NPSC. If the NPSC is really a clean and corrupt-free department, why is it that the candidates who clear the coveted NCS and allied services exam every year are usually drunkards and children of the rich and influential.
It is also a known fact that many of our bright and intelligent Naga youths have already ruined their lives by bestowing their faith in the NPSC. Year after year many Naga youths sacrificed their other life pursuits and sat down at their table to prepare for the NPSC examination. However year after year they got only disappointment and frustration despite their best efforts and hard works because the exam results were being manipulated by the rich and the influential. Is our Nagaland government really unaware of these practices? I do not think so. Therefore the government should stop projecting the NPSC as a clean department when it knows very well that it is not.
In the light of these facts the criteria that only teachers who cleared the NPSC exam are eligible for the latest ROP is totally absurd, unreasonable and unacceptable. By projecting the NPSC as a department which has done no wrong or can do no wrong even in the midst of all the allegations and controversies, the Nagaland government is refusing to acknowledge black as black and trying to project black as white. Therefore instead of pursuing with these totally absurd and unacceptable practices, the school education department should speed up the service regularization process so that all the ad-hoc teachers who have already completed 3 years of continuous service receive their service regularization order before the end of 2011.
Or else, if the government cannot speed up this process, the Nagaland government should come up with a mechanism whereby the service of an ad-hoc teacher gets regularized automatically on completion of three years continuous service.
However in the year 2010, the patience and endurance power of the ad-hoc teachers finally ran out when the Nagaland government implemented the Sixth Pay Commission for its employees minus the ad-hoc teachers serving under the school education department. This 2010 ROP was also denied to the so-called ad-hoc teachers just like the 1999 ROP was denied to them on the ground that these teachers are not regular government servants.
The Nagaland government has this policy that an ad-hoc teacher would be eligible for the latest pay-scale i.e., the 2010 ROP for now (and previously the 1999 ROP), only after his / her service gets regularized. The ad-hoc teachers would have certainly no problem whatsoever with this policy of the government if the government is being able to regularize the services of the ad-hoc teachers on the stipulated time. However the Nagaland government has failed miserably in this matter.
Here it is worth mentioning that the Nagaland government through its office memorandum No.AR-5/ASSO/98 Dated Kohima the 23rd August 2007 has clearly directed the school education department to regularize the services of all those ad-hoc teachers who have completed three years of continuous service. However, now also, even those ad-hoc teachers who have already completed more than 10 years of continuous service are still waiting for their service regularization order.
It may also be mentioned here that a suitability test was conducted at the ATI in the year 2005 for the service regularization of the senior ad-hoc teachers. And it is interesting to know that the result of this suitability test came out only in the later part of 2009, i.e., after 4 years. And what is even more interesting is that many of the teachers who faced this suitability test failed to find their names in the result list when it was finally declared after more than 4 years. So, what were the reasons behind the omission of these names?
Moreover when this suitability test was conducted in 2005, the test could not be completed successfully for some unspecified reasons and many of the ad-hoc teachers had to return home without facing the suitability test. Till date no alternative arrangement has ever been made for these teachers who could not be accommodated in the suitability test conducted in 2005. The result being that many of these ad-hoc teachers are now serving for almost 15 years without their services been regularized till date. Now, whom shall we blame for these failures and shortcomings?
Last year also in the month of September, a suitability test was conducted at the school education directorate office in which more than a thousand ad-hoc teachers from all over Nagaland came and faced the test. Now six moths later, the result of this suitability test is still awaiting declaration and many have already voiced their apprehension whether the result of this test will see the light of day before the end of 2011.
It is appreciable that the directorate of school education office has set up a monitoring cell within its office premises to deal with the service regularization of the ad-hoc teachers. I myself have visited this cell a couple of times. But what I find worrying and disturbing is that the service regularization process seems to be done at a snail’s pace. Of course I know that the school education department is a big department with many responsibilities and obligations and therefore I cannot expect the department to regularize the services of thousands of teachers in a matter of 2 – 3 weeks. However I also sincerely believe that this process should not take more than 6-7 months if the department is really working with sincerity and commitment in this matter.
Another government policy which has been in operation is that a teacher becomes eligible for the latest pay-scale or ROP if he / she is able to clear the examination conducted by the NPSC.
Here also the ad-hoc teachers would have nothing to say and complain if the NPSC has proved itself to be a clean, corrupt-free and trustworthy department. But this is not so. Over the years the NPSC has remained as the most unclean, corrupt and untrustworthy department in Nagaland. Therefore when the government makes clearing the NPSC exam a criteria for availing the 2010 ROP or the latest ROP or for service regularization, isn’t our government openly encouraging corrupt practices like bribery, nepotism and other such practices.
Time and time again, corruption has shown its ugly face in the NPSC but still the Nagaland government continues to portray the NPSC as an angelic department. Even with all the corruption charges hovering over the NPSC over the years, the Nagaland government continues to believe and portray the NPSC as a department which has done no wrong or can do no wrong. This is something really absurd, unreasonable and totally unacceptable.
I want to inform the government that the NPSC is not UPSC. The examinations and recruitments conducted by the UPSC are of the highest order and nobody can doubt its credibility. However, it is not so with the NPSC. If the NPSC is really a clean and corrupt-free department, why is it that the candidates who clear the coveted NCS and allied services exam every year are usually drunkards and children of the rich and influential.
It is also a known fact that many of our bright and intelligent Naga youths have already ruined their lives by bestowing their faith in the NPSC. Year after year many Naga youths sacrificed their other life pursuits and sat down at their table to prepare for the NPSC examination. However year after year they got only disappointment and frustration despite their best efforts and hard works because the exam results were being manipulated by the rich and the influential. Is our Nagaland government really unaware of these practices? I do not think so. Therefore the government should stop projecting the NPSC as a clean department when it knows very well that it is not.
In the light of these facts the criteria that only teachers who cleared the NPSC exam are eligible for the latest ROP is totally absurd, unreasonable and unacceptable. By projecting the NPSC as a department which has done no wrong or can do no wrong even in the midst of all the allegations and controversies, the Nagaland government is refusing to acknowledge black as black and trying to project black as white. Therefore instead of pursuing with these totally absurd and unacceptable practices, the school education department should speed up the service regularization process so that all the ad-hoc teachers who have already completed 3 years of continuous service receive their service regularization order before the end of 2011.
Or else, if the government cannot speed up this process, the Nagaland government should come up with a mechanism whereby the service of an ad-hoc teacher gets regularized automatically on completion of three years continuous service.
